Run To The Coast II

A Weekend of High-Performance Glory!

From the Seat

’02 Z06 Corvette

2/29

People always say that the car is just an extension of the driver. We absolutely agree because our Z06 is pretty dialed in and makes driving through most situations relatively easy. Case in point, we managed to whittle our time in the autocross from 45.185 Saturday’s wet course to 40.83 during Sunday’s dry morning session. With the numbers set, we handed the keys to one of our shooters Robert McGaffin for fun runs, only to have him match us on his first hit. By his third run, he was running even quicker with a 40.377, and honestly, it was pretty cool to see. The road course was an absolute blast, and we’re looking forward to our next opportunity to stretch the Z06’s legs. And when it came to the speed stop, it was a personal favorite. The wide-open throttle acceleration was a rush and stabbing the brake as hard as possible was another cool feeling in itself. More importantly, the number-one lesson learned: seat time, seat time, seat time! Regardless of what you’re driving that alone will make all the difference in the world.

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Erich Monteith, of Newbury Park, California, showed everyone that his ’66 El Camino does in fact haul. It also gave us an incentive to get our El Camino up to speed.

Long Beach resident Jon Rasmussen brought out his wide-tired ’72 Nova, featuring a monster set of 315R35-17s on all four corners. We hear he’s already in the process of fitting the fender flares and upgrading to C5 brakes.

Carl Casanova is the proud of owner of this ’68 Camaro. Underneath the hood is a factory LS1 with a MagnaCharger supercharger. For cornering, it’s been completely outfitted with Hotchkis’ line of suspension from front to back.

The Baer Brakes Speed Stop Challenge was exactly that: a challenge. Drivers had 1,000 feet to accelerate, 300 feet to slow down, and an additional 10 feet to stop within the designated area. The key was to keep an eye on the three cones representing 100 feet each and apply the brakes accordingly. Some timed it perfectly, some fell short, while others smoked their way past the stop box altogether.

Rob Chandler’s ’68 first-gen Camaro is absolutely stunning, and you can expect to see a full feature with all the details in an upcoming issue. For now, we’ll just say that it’s powered by a small-block 350, has a Tremec six-speed, and a complete DSE setup.

Kyle Tucker from DSE had a great showing, finishing Second on the autocross with 37.206, along with a Second Place finish at the Speed Stop Challenge with an 11.561, and a Fourth Place finish on the road course with a 1:04.9.

Hail to the king! Brian Finch made the long trek from Tennessee and was officially crowned a two-peat for his efforts. Finch won an unbelievable number of events last year, even winning our Chevy High Car of the Year award. It should be pretty obvious by now that he’s a proven driver with a solid machine and definitely a tough competitor to beat.

DSE’s Ryan Matthews piloted Stacy Tucker’s ’69 Camaro to a blistering 1:02.8 through the road course, giving him the First Place win in that portion of the event.

Paul Setter brought out his eye-catching ’69. Setter’s personal best was a 1.21.0 on the road course.

Canadian resident James Shipka was out in full force with his familiar “One Lap Camaro” and sharing driving duties with Mary Pozzi. Shipka plans on participating at the 2011 One Lap of America race with the Pozzis again, only this year with Mary. Good luck, we’ll be watching!

Mike Wright was caught in action, running 42.721 in the autocross.

If you want to talk about impressive that had to be Mike Foglesong with his LS-powered ’67 Camaro; Tom ran a 1.09.0 on the road course and 41.752 on the autocross.

CHP regular Doug Renner was out and about pushing his ’69 to the limits. Renner ran through the autocross with a 41.636 and ran a stellar 1.12.4 on the road course.

David Gordon (and his ’68 Camaro) was a newcomer to this year’s RTTC event. He made the 1,000-mile trip (each way) with no truck or trailer and ran incredibly well for his first outing. He managed to navigate through the autocross with a 38.834, a 1.08.8 on the road course, and 12.291 at the speed stop.

Speed Tech’s ’72 Nova was literally flying around the track. Check out the air Robert McGaffin caught as Jay Weir was ripping around the big sweeper! Weir ran 1.03.3 in the road course, 38.210 on the autocross, and 11.996 at the speed stop.

Newman Car Creations’ ’55 Chevy is flat-out awesome. Underneath the body is a C4 chassis with a LS powerplant and a six-speed. During our cruise we had a chance to follow Kyle, and it was an absolute ball to see their Tri-Five on the streets and on the track. Kyle made it to the top three in the speed stop with an 11.785, a 38.778 in the autocross, and a 1:07.0 on the road course. This is another gem we’re planning to feature, so expect the full disclosure soon.

Brian Hobaugh was a serious contender on the road course and an absolute terror on the autocross. Powering the ’65 Corvette is a 350ci small-block with a close ratio M21 transmission. Hobaugh took the autocross win with a mind-numbing 37 flat.

Our own John Barkley came out for a little fun with his son’s ’72 Camaro. This is an old-school CHP build from the late ’90s and we’re talking about a completely homebuilt ride; the most recent change being the 495hp 383ci small-block we built several months ago. And believe us, if anyone’s caught the corner-carving bug, it’s him. He’s a former drag racer with a NHRA Wally to his credit.

David Pozzi and Camaro Performers Tech Editor Steven Rupp shared driving duties with Rupp’s ’68 Camaro. Pozzi ran a 38.313 in the autocross and a 1.07.2 through the road course. With Rupp behind the wheel, he ran a 12.352 in the speed stop, a 39.811 in the autocross, and a 1.13.8 on the road course.

Larry Callahan, founder of Pro-Touring.com, brought out his twin-turbo packing ’68. His efforts netted him with a 1.23.8 on the road course, 40.732 on the autocross, and a 12.224 at the speed stop.

Cruising up Pacific Coast Highway with dozens of street machines was a sight to see. Most of the general onlookers looked a bit bewildered, but beyond that the cruise was clean, easy paced, and everyone made it with minimal issues.

Due to the weather forecast, the RTTC crew was able to plan ahead and gain access to one of the hangers for shelter, which worked out well for the early morning tech inspections. Teching in the cars went smoothly and each ride was checked for proper safety equipment, correct treadwear, and making sure the batteries were secured in place.

Spectre Performance opened their facility for everyone and hosted Friday’s lunch and the go-kart racing; leading the group in this photo is Yancy Johns.

Karl Stuber and his ’68 Malibu returned for the second year in a row. In what seemed like a sea of Camaros, Stuber represented the A-bodies, running 43.789 in the autocross and 1.14.7 on the road course.

Deanna Marengo represented the second-gen crowd with her Hotchkis TVS–equipped ’71. Marengo ran an impressive 39.283 on the autocross and impressed us at the Speed Stop Challenge with an 11.932.

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